Oxford, High Wycombe & surrounding areas

updated Monday 23rd April 2001
the next update will be on Sunday 29th April 2001

Please note that any comments made in this news page are those of the Editors' and in no way constitute 
any official points of view from the bus companies mentioned,  or indeed any other official body. 
As a news page we reserve the right to make valid comments as seen from an editorial point of view.

Problems with the pictures ! - sometimes it seems that the pictures do not load.
I have found a solution which does work normally - 
RIGHT CLICK ON THE PICTURE AND THEN CLICK ON "SHOW PICTURE"
Good luck !

Spring at last?

The M40 was closed Oxford bound last Sunday for several hours and I only had to go to the end of our
road to see various coaches, including this Tube Oxford bound, avoiding the queues leaving the Motorway
at Junction 5. The daffodils make a nice edge to the picture.

Following on from the picture above I include another picture below of diversions off the M40 due to accidents, delays and closures. This type of situation brings serious problems to maintaining a reliable express service. Lost journeys are not unusual and loss has to be built into costings and can affect eventual profitability.

Revised fares on Oxford Bus brings Freedom Card bargains.

Oxford Bus has made some adjustments to fares on Route Freedom Cards and a fare of £6 per week on routes 2, 4 and 5 brings unlimited travel on those routes for less than £1 per day if used each of the seven days. 

Wycombe day for Bus Enthusiasts.

A Wycombe Running day will offer travel on many historic buses including Routemasters and many other interesting buses.

The Wycombe Bus Running Day promises to be a bumper extravaganza this year and will probably the last time that the Wycombe Bus Company livery will be seen in at such an event. Also nearing the end in Thames Valley livery is Olympian 229 which is due for repaint anytime now. So don't miss the fun from ten 'til five , timetables can be obtained from Wycombe Bus Station.

Company reports - to 23rd April 2001

Arriva serving the Shires & Essex.

Arriva 3076 has been transferred in to replace ageing Mercedes now being withdrawn.
It is seen leaving Newlands Bus Station waiting for its next duty.

This week sees Volvo 3855(627) back from repaint which it seems took place at Colchester. The next batch due for repaint will be the ex London Dart DWs. and an increased effort is now being made to complete the repainting of all the ex Wycombe Bus vehicles. This does mean that the blue and yellow livery on the Arriva Cressex based buses seems set to last for quite sometime to come.

5110 - G130YEV is one of those buses still carrying the old livery. Seen here on the 362 last Saturday.

It is unusual too see poor loading by professional drivers but Saturday saw an unfortunate situation occur in St Aldates when seemingly a 280 service operated by 5157 ended up trying to load passengers in the middle of St Aldates. This does highlight the unsuitability of City Centre street termini.

Revised services took place in High Wycombe this last weekend with quite a large number of changes. The Arriva company claimed that EVERY house in the area would get a travel guide through the door about the new Arriva bus routes and timetables which came into effect on 22nd April. I have to say that I know of one house that most certainly did not!!!  Services affected are 310:Downley, 339:Widmer End to Lane End, 325/326:Micklefield to Booker, Desborough Castle to Totteridge, 364 to cover Hicks Farm Rise, 301:Flackwell Heath, 363:Penn, 317:Maidenhead, 328/9:Reading, 333/4:Speen, with finally some changes to Amersham and Chesham services.

Oxford Bus Company (City of Oxford Motor Services)

Oxford Express coaches often end up diverting off the M40 due to delays and even accidents 
which can close the Motorway. Here we see new 25 passing through Tetsworth, airport bound. 

All the Darts for Metrobus of Orpington have now been repainted (506 and 511 the last) and are now in service at Crawley. The have got new fleet numbers and I am most grateful to Neil Gow for the nice shot he sent of 762(502) operating in Crawley.

Volvo coach 59 has finally left Oxford, going first for repaint before making its Irish sea crossing to its new home on the West Coast of Ireland. 59 left on Sunday morning and I shall miss this rather special coach which seemed reluctant to ever leave Oxford.

Stagecoach in Oxford.  

Surprise visitor to Horspath last week was this ex London Olympian more recently with Stagecoach East Sussex but now on its way to Preston and service with Stagecoach Ribble. It was fleet number 7207 based at Hastings.

It appears that up to three R registered Olympians are due from one of the London companies for service on the 77 Brookes University route.

  PHOTO CORNER
If you have a digital camera and wish to submit photos for this page please send them to the me at
malcolmhc@aol.com

Beckwith Coaches of Princes Risborough are now operating the 290 Stokenchurch-London service
with amongst other coaches this Plaxton bodied Volvo B10M - F214NLE.

Classic Coaches of High Wycombe seem to live on with this ex Tyne & Wear Atlantean/MCW H49/37F
new in 1979 and later with Go-Ahead Northern. It was seen last Saturday on Cressex Estate.

I welcome your photos for inclusion on this page.

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